This article includes the findings of an NIJ-funded study examining how wrongful convictions affect the original crime victims. Researchers from ICF International conducted in-depth studies to identify the shared experiences and service needs of the original crime victims in 11 cases of wrongful conviction. In total, researchers interviewed 33 individuals:

Eleven victims (including immediate family members in cases of homicide)

Nine prosecutors

Four service providers

Three law enforcement officers

Two family members

Two individuals who provided victims with legal advice

Two innocence commission members

The study found that wrongful convictions have a significant impact on the original crime victims and exposed a lack of services available to them. The researchers also noted that although we have made significant strides over the past three decades to identify wrongfully convicted individuals and to help them gain their freedom and transition to life after exoneration, additional research is still needed to fully understand the experiences and address the needs of the original crime victims during this process.

This brief shares research on connections between different forms of violence and describes how these connections affect communities. The purpose is to help promote collaboration for more effective prevention.

This research brief is for advocates and preventionists to use in their work to create, implement, and improve bystander intervention programming in their communities. The research reviewed in this brief provides insight into the mobilization of bystander behavior. Each study includes an application section, which provides advocates and preventionists information about how they can use this study in their work.

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This site is supported by Grant/ Cooperative Agreement No. 1UF2CE002359-02 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.